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Once again, it’s that time of year to look back and also forward. I have always held myself publicly accountable on this forum at year’s end. Initially I did this by looking at the data that my writing delivered: likes, shares, volume of comments, etc. Then we got wiser and learned that those metrics are perhaps not really good indicators of performance (and if you still use these, get smart!). So I switched to predicting the future. Let’s see how we did, for 2018, shall we? Consider it my end-of-year performance review. by Maarten Albarda

Brand choice is driven by primarily by emotion and feeling. People don’t make brand choices based on logical, persuasive marketing arguments (as many in our industry still like to believe), rather the more you feel for a brand, the more likely you are to buy it. But is this equally true for all product categories? by Nigel Hollis

ThinkNow released its ThinkNow Snapshot: 2018 Total Market Markers + Milestones, identifying the top trends that shaped multicultural research. Milestones range from shaky consumer sentiment to the proliferation of mobile shopping and from the rise of stream-ing services to the new multicultural mainstream consumer.

Choice has always been coveted among consumers. When it comes to the media universe, the abundance in devices, services and content has never been more prevalent, which in turn is opening up a complex web of consumption behaviors. With all of this technology at consumers’ literal fingertips, which of these platforms are they focused on?

According to this study, 67 percent of U.S. respondents have used live chat, social media, or texting for customer service. Among Gen Z and Millennials, 46 percent and 47 percent respectively have used social media to communicate with customer service in the past year -- compared to only 7 percent of Baby Boomers and 26 percent of Gen X. More than a third (36 percent) of Gen Z consumers prefer social media for simple inquiries compared to only 5 percent of Baby Boomers.

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Deloitte’s 10th annual Tech Trends report identifies those trends that are likely to disrupt businesses in the next 18-24 months, including advanced networking, intelligent interfaces, serverless computing and more. These trends are part of a larger convergence of powerful forces that are driving disruption across industries.

Walker & Company Brands, the company that makes health and beauty simple for people of color, today announced that it will join the Procter & Gamble Company family of brands to better serve consumers of color around the world.

Emmis Communications is mainly known for English-language stations. Yet, it is shining in Texas' state capital with two FMs offering Spanish-language programming. Against formidable competitors, it's winning. This podcast delivers insights that could fit your market opportunity.

The U.S. Census Bureau announced the release of new data on the makeup of student bodies from kindergartens to universities across the country. According to the latest data, the number of students nationwide enrolled in school was 76.4 million in 2017, not statistically different from the level in 2016. Those who are enrolled make up 24.7 percent of the population age 3 and older.

The report, “The Cut – Exploring Financial Wellness Within Diverse Populations,” is based on a survey of more than 3,000 U.S. adults and examines the financial lives of a diverse group of Americans: women, black Americans, Latino Americans, Asian Americans, caregivers, and the LGBTQ community.

Experts say the rise of artificial intelligence will make most people better off over the next decade, but many have concerns about how advances in AI will affect what it means to be human, to be productive and to exercise free will

To grow sales, more companies are teaming up to attract each other’s customers—and persuade their existing customers to buy more—by creating a positive association with another brand. Well-known alliances include McDonald’s Happy Meals with Disney toys and Dell PCs with Intel processors.

As far as news coverage of emerging trends in marketing go, this one was exceptional: "New Report Cites Skyrocketing Growth of Internal Agencies," the Ad Age headline shouted, while Adweek weighed in with, "ANA Report: In-Housing Agency Work Is Accelerating." MediaPost followed suit with "ANA: Over Three-Quarters of Our Members Have In-House Agencies" and Campaign US ran with, "Number of In-House Agencies Rise Dramatically, ANA Study Finds."

Ntooitive announced Armando Guerrero is joining the team as Vice President of Strategic Partnerships. Guerrero will be based in Los Angeles and responsible for managing partnerships for Ntooitive’s advertising technology platforms nationwide.

Following the Final Draw, Telemundo Deportes unveils its initial coverage plans for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup France™ taking place next June 7-July 7. As the exclusive Spanish-language home of the tournament, Telemundo Deportes will present all 52 matches live on Telemundo, Universo, and the Telemundo Deportes and NBC Sports apps.

Impremedia has designated Iván Adaime as its new CEO, effective December 10th, 2018, replacing Gabriel Dantur, who will return to LA NACION, Impremedia’s parent company, where he will bring his significant expertise in digital transformation and change management.

In a world where the pace of change is accelerating, the drivers of change are varied and diverse across regions and marketers, as are the signals of evolving consumer behaviors. Many factors are shaping the world we live in, but which ones should businesses and organizations be focused on, and what opportunities do they present?

A brand no longer needs, nor can embrace, all trends. It must create sub-brands specifically designed for each niche, and reach each one using algorithms. The organic food brand Mãe Terra recently bought by Unilever has been a smart move in this way. by Anahi Lucas & Felipe Ramirez

Median household income and poverty rates continue to vary across the nation’s 3,142 counties. In general, median household income is higher in urban counties than in rural areas. Likewise, poverty rates tend to be lower in urban areas than in rural areas.

There is huge pressure for marketers to spend more on digital: it is where customers are spending more time, it is what everyone else is doing and the convenience metrics look good. So, it is nice to find an example of a company doing its homework and bucking the trend. by Nigel Hollis